Welcome to the Orillia Festival of Banners. This is your place to learn more about the Festival and its place in Orillia’s outdoor art scene.
The Orillia Festival of Banners is a celebration of art and community spirit that is heading into its fourth year. Created by local businesswoman Leslie Fournier as a way to draw people into the downtown core and bolster the arts, the Festival produces and displays over 175 banners that are designed and hand-painted by the citizens of Orillia and area. These banners illustrate a yearly theme and fly on downtown street lamps from May to October, creating a colourful and unique streetscape and giving residents and tourists alike a warm welcome to the heart of our city.
Each year a different theme is set, and local citizens get their paint brushes ready to create banners that mirror that theme. First they send in their design submissions, which are vetted by the Festival of Banners committee. The deadline for submissions is typically the last Friday in February, and painting begins in mid-March.
NEW!!
In 2009 the Festival launched a new component called Streets Alive!, which was presented as the festival’s official opening event. The focus was on an outdoor exhibition of juried artists painting their banners “live” as the crowds look on. The final designs were eligible for People’s Choice awards of $1,500, $1,000, $750 and $500.
For more information on the inaugural Streets Alive! weekend, see “Pages” to the right and visit the independent Streets Alive! site.
